National Treasure - Usa Jingu - The Spiritual Home of the Japanese People (Spiritual Spot)
This shrine is the head shrine of all Hachiman shrines nationwide and is famous as the birthplace of the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism. During the Nara period, Hachiman, who participated in the Hayato Rebellion, regretted killing and started the Buddhist ritual of releasing captive animals to appease the spirits of the Hayato, and also built Miroku-ji Temple on the shrine grounds. Furthermore, he supported the construction of the Great Buddha of Todai-ji Temple and became a guardian deity of Buddhism.
Furthermore, the legend of Ninmon Bodhisattva, said to be an incarnation of Hachiman, tells the history of how the syncretic culture of Shinto and Buddhism flourished on the Kunisaki Peninsula as the Rokugo Manzan culture. Why not take a leisurely stroll through this spiritual homeland that the Japanese people had forgotten?
Furthermore, the legend of Ninmon Bodhisattva, said to be an incarnation of Hachiman, tells the history of how the syncretic culture of Shinto and Buddhism flourished on the Kunisaki Peninsula as the Rokugo Manzan culture. Why not take a leisurely stroll through this spiritual homeland that the Japanese people had forgotten?
Usa Course - The Shrine and Nearby Temples
Mode of transportation: walking
Time required: 2 hours
1. Yawata Parking Lot / Tourist Information Center
Usa Tourist Information Center
The parking lot for visitors to Usa Shrine is called Hachiman Parking Lot and is located on the south side of National Route 10. The Usa City Tourism Association and Usa Tourist Information Center are located within this parking lot. Here you will find information on Usa City and nearby tourist destinations such as the Kunisaki Peninsula, Beppu, Nakatsu, and Yabakei, as well as electric bicycle rentals and luggage storage services.
2. Usa Shrine
The main hall of Usa Shrine consists of three buildings dedicated to the deities Hachiman-no-Okami (Emperor Ojin), Hime-no-Okami, and Empress Jingu. Each building is a unique example of shrine architecture, with a front and rear hall joined together, and is designated a National Treasure as a Hachiman-style structure. The shrine grounds are vast, covering approximately 60 hectares, of which about 30 hectares are designated as a National Historic Site, and 5 hectares of primeval forest on Mt. Ogura are designated as a National Natural Monument, giving visitors a sense of sacredness.
3. Entsuji Temple
This is the oldest Rinzai Zen temple in the prefecture (dating back to the Kamakura period). Its founder, Miko Eison, dedicated himself to the restoration of Miroku-ji Temple, which was located within the grounds of Usa Shrine, and as a result, Usa Shrine designated this temple as its shrine temple. The fact that the main approach to Usa Shrine is an extension of the approach to Entsu-ji Temple also speaks to the close relationship between the two (syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism).
4. Dairakuji Temple (Koyasan Shingon sect)
Photo It was founded in 1333 by Usamiya Daiguji Itotsu Koren as a temple dedicated to Emperor Go-Daigo. The family temple of the Itotsu family. 7 statues of Maitreya Buddha, side attendants, and the Four Heavenly Kings are enshrined in the main hall, and this is the only temple in the prefecture where all of them have been designated as nationally important cultural properties. Admission fee: 1 person = 300 yen (for groups of 20 or more, 1 person = 200 yen)
5. Gokuraku-ji Temple (Jodo Shinshu Honganji School)
The statues were located near Hatsuzawa Pond within the Usa Shrine grounds even after the separation of Shinto and Buddhism during the Meiji era, but were moved to their current location during the major reconstruction in the Showa era. The principal image, a standing statue of Amida Buddha, was moved from the Dainido Hall (donated by the Vice-Governor of Dazaifu), which was located near the Ema-do Hall, and the approximately 2.8-meter-tall Maitreya Buddha was moved from the Miroku-ji Temple lecture hall. Both are designated as tangible cultural properties of the prefecture.
6. Daizenji Temple (Soto Zen sect)
This temple is the family temple of the Oyamada clan, a branch of the Ogami clan, the chief priest of Usa Shrine. The approximately 3-meter-tall seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai (Medicine Buddha) enshrined in the Zen hall was originally the principal image of the main hall of Miroku-ji Temple, but was moved during the Meiji-era separation of Shinto and Buddhism. It is designated as a National Important Cultural Property as a Buddhist statue from the Kamakura period. Other statues, such as Nikko and Gekko Bodhisattvas, are also preserved here.
